In Pictures: Presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly on campaign trail in Donegal

Presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has been out and about in Donegal. Click on the arrows to see photos from her visit, and read on to see how she was received in communities in the county

She kicked off her visit in Donegal Town on Friday where she received a warm welcome, taking time to chat to people on the street and visiting a number of businesses including Simple Simon’s, Hanna Hats, and Triona where she enjoyed a weaving demonstration.

She was joined by former independent TD and fellow neutrality campaigner Thomas Pringle and independent councillor Jimmy Brogan. There was also a great show of support from Sinn Féin’s representatives in Donegal, with Deputy Pearse Doherty, Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn, Cllr Noel Jordan and Cllr Jack Murray in attendance. 

Deputy Doherty outlined why he and his Sinn Féin colleagues chose to support Ms Connolly.

“I think Catherine is a fantastic candidate,” he told Donegal Live. “ I have known her for many, many years. We share a lot of the same visions.

“I know that for people in Donegal, with Catherine as president that she will be speaking to the values that people have. She has very much been there on the right side of the families who have defects in terms of their buildings. She has been very supportive of that issue over many years in the Dáil. 

“But it’s bigger than that, it’s wider than that, she is a really authentic person. What you see is what you get from Catherine Connolly. 

“She recognises and she has always been a champion of those who are either oppressed or people whose voice has never been heard, whether that’s families with children with disabilities or indeed those who are just struggling to survive.

“So I think it is a very clear and simple chance. Our option here in this election, we have two candidates from government parties and we have a very, very strong  candidate that isn’t supportive of the government that will be a presence who is independent of the government who I think speaks to the values and holds the values of the Irish nation.”

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With three candidates in the race for the Áras - Heather Humphreys (FG) and JIm Gavin (FF) - Ms Connolly believes her early start is standing her well.

“I began campaigning in July and I have made myself available to meet people and answer questions at every opportunity,” she told Donegal Live.

Ms Connolly outlined the main themes of her campaign.

“I want to see us using our neutrality in the most positive way,” she said.

“And I want to be a voice that articulates the threat posed by climate change.

“Communities are vital, and I want to be a voice for communities here in Donegal and all across Ireland.

“The Irish language is very important to me too. I had school Irish and I went back and learned it again. My aim is to empower and inspire others to do the same.

“It gives you a súil eile, a different perspective on the world.”

Killybegs

Next stop for Ms Connolly was the fishing port of Killybegs. This is a town that faces unique challenges, with the fishing community believing that Ireland is not getting a fair share of the EU quotas when it comes to fishing its own waters.

The harsh reality of the industry was to the fore of people’s minds throughout Ms Connolly’s time in the port town, with a search continuing at sea for a missing local fisherman.

During a visit to Shine’s Seafood,  a high quality producer in the town, founder John Shine told the presidential candidate that while Ireland produced some of the best fish - and fish products - in the world, much of this was for the export market.

“We have the best of albacore tuna here in Irish waters,” he said. “Yet we are buying a much lower quality product and shipping it in from the other side of the world. 

“Indeed, 90% of the seafood that is sold here in Ireland is a cheap substitute that is brought in from outside. Most of the prawns that are served in Ireland are not Irish-caught prawns. They are all imported.

“We have all that in Ireland. We have the best tuna here. We should really be supporting and labelling properly, and educating the public as to the origins of the fish that they are eating.”

Having sampled a number of tuna, mackerel and sardine products from the Shine’s range, Ms Connolly was very impressed, describing the offerings as ‘absolutely delicious.’

She thanked Mr Shine for his insight into the industry, saying that she would take it all on board.

Ardara

Catherine Connolly has spoken about the importance of community, and how if elected President she will use her position to be a voice for communities. This has certainly resonated with the people of Ardara, a town which she visited on Friday for the second time in her presidential campaign.

Among those to welcome her was Senator Eileen Flynn (Ind) who said: “It means a lot to the community here in Ardara. Her coming here twice shows that she sees and recognises us, that we are heard. It is great to see the community out to support her.”

When asked why she was supporting Ms Connolly, Senator Flynn said: “In my opinion, Catherine is honest and supportive. She stands for human rights and equality. She is passionate about disability rights and education for our young people. 

“And I think it is important that we keep the Irish language alive.

“Catherine is a very respectful person who I know will represent us well on the world stage.”

During her visit to Ardara, Ms Connolly visited a number of shops and cultural facilities, including the Ardara Heritage Centre and the famous Eddie Doherty Handweavers. 

Eddie was on hand to welcome her and share stories about their mutual acquaintances - and to let her know that he had an even more famous guest the previous day when Hollywood A-lister Bill Murray dropped in with a film crew.

Dungloe

On the fourth and final stop in her campaign visit to Donegal, Catherine Connolly had plenty of opportunities to enjoy her love of the Irish language. She received a warm welcome in Dungloe, with many of those who came out to greet her doing so in Irish. Among them was independent councillor Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig, who shares her passion for the language. 

Also there to accompany the presidential hopeful on her tour of Dungloe was Cllr Denis McGee from 100% Redress, a party which is supporting her campaign. 

Cllr McGee said: “I am very, very happy to support her. First of all because she is a native Irish speaker; secondly, she stands for a lot of stuff that I believe in, and she comes across as a very honest and great person, very well liked across the country and very well liked throughout the Dáil.  

“She has been a past leas-cheann comhairle, and has handled herself fantastically.”

During her visit, Ms Connolly called into the library where she met staff and got a briefing on local literature. She also called into several business premises, even taking time for a quick peek at some of the latest lines in the Cope ladieswear section. Head of clothing Annette Diver was happy to share her style expertise with a potential future president. 

However, it was on the streets of Dungloe that Ms Connolly really got to engage with members of the public, with a strong showing of local people coming out to greet her and wish her well.